"Day's never finished! Masta keeps me workin'. Someone's gotta set me free!" A lone student chanted as they scraped through the earth. Derrik dug without drive as the dirt crumbled under the axe. He had been digging for 3 hours, under the sun, half away around the world. All he could think of, was how was this passed off as a field trip. To him, the activities in Turkey were equivable to slave labor, or at the very least hard labor for a courtsmartial.
Professor Jackson watched behind his giant sunglasses as they dug at the site in Sagliksuyu. He changed over the time of the trip. He was meaner, and more determined to do this. He figured as much as since the University was probably breathing down his neck for progress on this trip. The professor was usually light and inquisitive, but now he was single minded and intent on the dig.
"MOVE IT! LET'S SEE SOME MORE MUSCLE! WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY!" The professor screamed from behind the clipboard. His glasses were glossed over in the high Anatolian sun. His teeth were clenched, and his lips were wrinkled.
"What the hell is his problem?" He heard a voice behind him whisper. He looked briefly to see long dark brown hair glistening from sweat in the hard Turkish sun. Kari Anna Hildago-Cruz, a fellow student and mutant. They had several classes together this semester, even though she was perusing psychology.
"I think he is under a lot of pressure, I've never seen him like this. They must be really letting him have it for sending us here to dig."Derrik said as he scraped back more rock. "Hell, we aren't even digging where we shoulda been digging. I hope some Turkish army partol doesn't think we are terrorists."
"I know, right?"Kari said as she sat down on the arid topsoil. He noticed her lips sipping cold water from hercanteen. A small droplet rolledits way down her chin, and down hertank top.He blinked back, and blushed slightly.
"WORK MISS CRUZ, WORK NOW!" Professor Jackson shouted. He threw down his clipboard as dust kicked up around him. His eyes seemed to glow red as he shouted, his voice sounding like gunshots.
"...piniche maricon... your lucky Xavier taught me better or Id have a flock of chickens pecking your eyes out..." She said to herself as she picked up the shovel.
"I stillhave a feeling this is gonna be a long trip." Derrik said as he quietly dug away at the Earth.
The sun long since set as the students and workers retired. Professor Jackson did not, he could not. An unknown force pushed the academic past his normal limits. Normallya man of his age and physiology would collapse from this type of labor, but Jackson was movingonly focused his goal.The dust swirled around him as he dug the spade into the dry earth. His eyes narrowed as the spade struck metal.The tomb of the great king, it had to be. Determination turned into elation, and he felt different now.
"STUDENTS! COME HERE!"Jackson looked over his shoulder, nothing. He cursed the lazy good for nothing students. He looked around in a fevor as he used his hands to dig into the soil, sand, and rocks. His fingernails broke and cracked, his hands became bloodied from the frenzy. The teachercleared a large circular seal made from gold, the shimmering metal gleamed in his eyes. The design was indeed egyptian of a pre-pyramidal time. Jackson smiled slightly, and let out a large exhaltion,passing out upon the seal.
"...what was that?" Derrik said softly as he rubbed his eyes. The night was now cool and dark, but not comforting. A tension hung in this area, and the young American was very uncomfortable. He looked over at his tent-mate Ryo Mishima. Ryo was asleep, asalways. The tentmate'slegs dangled off the cot as he snored. Derrik sighed, and wondered to himself if the snoring was what woke him up. Itdid not matter, for the young manwas up now.He then heard the howling desert wind, thatdid not help matters either. He put on the work boots softly and left the tent for a walk. His mind raced, asking 'What was going on with his life?', andhe felt so wrong now.
Derrikthen saw it, lights shining down and aroundaround the dig. He did not see any workers or students around, yet the generators were on, wasting fuel. As he approached the area, he noticed a new hole in the ground that was not there a few hours ago. A lone shovel and some other equipment could be seen in the dirt as well.
He sighed and walked down the dusty surface, skidding down as the angle increased. On the ground lay the professor's bag, full of books and notes. Crouching down, he examined each booklet, looking at the notes. This was an Egyptian burial site? A pot found half broken revealed this was considered the edge of the Earth by the Egyptians sometime in the Old Kingdom, the furthest reaches of the natural world.
It made sense, being so far away from the Nile, but he had no idea that this had a relation to Egypt, he figured this a cemetery of Christian pilgrims. But why here, came across the youth's mind,and why was there a large circularhole in front of him and a missing professor. Blood was also on a handkerchief, half buried under the dirt. The questions piled up and broke the common sense that the training from Xavier's had given him.
"Professor Jackson? Hello?" He leaned over the precipice. He could barely see down as the rope ladder banged against the bedrock from an unknown updraft. He resigned to go against all better judgement, and descend down into the darkness to find his instructor. "Heaven help me..."
